I am a "hobby" web designer, learning html and javascript on my freetime. At the moment I am reading Osborne's Complete Reference in HTML by Thomas Powell.
Now, I have become rather good at html, but far from professional, so people that I am working with have started asking me to help them making web pages for them.
The last html job that I have got is from a composer working at the same Music Academy as I work at. He currently has a very badly functioning site (http://www.rolfmartinsson.com) made by a friend of his, and he now wants a professionally looking and functioning site, on the same adress, which will be a helping tool in his work as a composer. He also wants to be able to update it daily by himself without knowing anything about html.
I use MAX's HTML Beauty++ ME (Thank you MAX for that great program!) so my work progress a little faster than when I wrote everything by hand. I use only "home-made" pictures for backgrounds and stuff, and also I have a few hundred photos to choose between that the composer gave me.
So far I have made only the basic structure with about 35 html documents, lacking about 10 more basic pages and probably about 50 more documents that will be pop-up windows with comments for his works. This basic structure can be seen in a "hidden place" at http://w1.404.telia.com/~u40416789/rolfmart/index.html .
Rolf, the composer, is extreeeeemely picky - more picky than I am - and wants total insight in which colours, sizes and placings I make. So, making only the very basic structure without any content, has taken me about 100 hours. That is including changes after Rolf's comments, and after noticing that my nice layout in PC with latest Explorer looks like crap in his Mac with old Netscape. Yes, I have told him to download a newer version. Long story. What does it look like in your computers? Consider it is only a structure, and will still go through several changes and face liftings.
Here's the deal:
* I will make this site with about 100+ documents, with CSS and javascripts. The site has to look good in both PC and Mac, Explorer and Netscape. I have abandoned trying to make it look or work alright in other browsers. The site will in its complete be in Swedish. It will contain photos on every page, and also a download photo page for the Press.
* I also will make a linked English version that will be a little smaller. Rolf translates, but he would like my fiancé from America to check the translation.
* I will make a script/form/program that makes it possible for him to update daily directly to his site. Just write in the text and click - it's on the web. I will come back to this...
* I will be his webmaster until the end of 2003, doing the needed changes and major updates that can't be done by himself.
* Deadline will be 1st january 2003 (since I work fulltime already and also am moving to a new apartment).
For this he suggested to pay about 1500 dollars (in Swedish money) by the end of the year. This of course considering that I am not professional and that the work takes longer for me than for a fulltime working webdesigner.
My first question is: Is this price alright, or should I ask for more? We haven't agreed about payment yet, this is just a first suggestion from his side. We are collegues and friends, and it always seems difficult to ask for a lot of money for a work from a friend.
Next question:
I suck when it comes to javascripts and forms, but I have an idea about making the updating for him with a form page. You know, like when you fill in a guestbook.
* Maybe a pulldown menu to choose which page he wants to add text to.
* One field for Title that will come out as bold text
* another field for the text.
* A submit button that loads the text directly to the right page online.
Would this work? And what if he wants to remove text from a page? Is there a better or easier way of doing this, without me having to learn ALL about programming C++, javascripts, DHTML, and so on? I still have to read up alot about the scripts and forms I am currently working with...
I would be most happy to get some feedback in these issues. Hope you didn't fall asleep reading this long question above. Thank you.
Kasta sten i glashus? Jag?
[This message has been edited by Kartis Shone (edited 06-25-2002).]
[This message has been edited by Kartis Shone (edited 06-25-2002).]
posted 06-25-2002 02:08
